House on Haunted Hill (1999)

'House on Haunted Hill' was directed by William Malone (Creature) and stars Ali Larter (Final Destination), Geoffery Rush (The King's Speech), and Famke Janssen (X-Men) and is a remake of the classic Vincent Price film from B-Movie director William Castle. The remake follows the basic story of a group of strangers that are invited to a mansion with a cash reward to those who stay all night, but unlike the original the hauntings are quite real. The film has a great cast, especially for a horror film in the 90's. Rather than going for the latest television stars like 'Scream' and its many knockoffs did during that period, it seems like Malone went for whoever he felt was right for the part and it really knocks the film up a few pegs, with the biggest praise going to Rush's performance. He plays it up so well, channeling Vincent Price perfectly and by far is the best thing about the movie. Ali Larter is always great to see as well and she provides her usual charms here, and Janssen plays the bitchy wife trope well and I love the scenes between her and Geoffery the most.

Sadly, the rest of the cast is merely fodder but I will say that while I don't enjoy former SNL player Chris Kattan in most films, he gets a little too much hate here. I at least remember his character and he does provide some comic relief that gave me a few chuckles. For being the two front runners on the film's poster and marketing pictures (seen above) Taye Diggs & Bridgette Wilson are so forgettable here and one character that's important to the plot isn't even on the poster, but hey that's more a nitpick so let's move on. I think it was best to make the ghosts real in this one rather than an elaborate plot from Price, and they even give the film a good backstory for the hauntings with a fun cameo from horror legend Jeffery Combs. The film also has a great look to it, fitting the psychedelic and stylized horror sequences along with a strong Gothic feel that was sorely missing in 90s horror films. The biggest issue with 'House on Haunted Hill' however is that it doesn't seem to know what it wants to do at times. One minute, you have the eerie visuals and dread and then the next, the film goes for a more traditional gore and jump scare route ruining the tension building.

The film also has far too many subplots, with the 1959 original's mixed with the modern ghost story leading to confusion and eventually the film just strays too far away until the final act. The final act suffers too, whether because of these other issues or not it feels really rushed and the big bad ghost of the film is one of the worst looking monsters I've seen in any horror film. It's a CGI blob that I guess is supposed to be an inkblot test on acid, but it's super weak to go through a mostly solid horror film only for the villain to deflate it in the last five minutes. Despite my issues however, I do still recommend 'House on Haunted Hill' if you're looking for something to add to your Halloween viewing list. It's a fun and cheesy horror flick with a classic feel to it that keeps you entertained even with a weak third act and somewhat bloated running time. If you need something new to see this Halloween, check it out.

4/5